Risk and Reward
by S.S. Endurance
Summary: Pre-Yamatai fluff, set a few months after Lara and Sam meet as university roommates. Confusion, infatuation, all that fun stuff. Rated T but could possibly change to M in later chapters.
1. Chapter 1

I felt that my previous story wasn't going anywhere, and wanted to start a fresh fluff piece, partially because I wasn't interested about involving the events of Yamatai. If you have constructive criticism/ideas/whatever, feel free to PM me.

I don't believe in love at first sight, but Samantha Nishimura definitely captivated me. One of the first things I noticed about her was that it's slightly difficult to understand her American accent, especially considering how quickly she talked when she was excited. She had been my uni roommate for a few months now and our weekend about to be spent like many before it: Sam dragging me along to a crammed dorm and drinking with people I'd only spoken to when I became tipsy enough to stop being shy. It had been dark for hours as we were walking across campus to her friend Anthony's room, who was hosting a small get together.

The air felt calm, disrupted only by my boots that crunched on the gravel. I didn't need to look down at Sam's feet to know she was wearing heels, but I did anyway. They matched the blue cocktail dress she was wearing, which clung to her lean figure in all the right places. God knows Sam would never miss an opportunity to dress up.  
"How you wear those without your feet snapping off is beyond me," I remark.  
"Lara, we've been over this. Beauty is pain, and these heels...are quite painful, yes. But that's only because they're new!"  
"My outfit is very comfortable, what are you trying to say?"  
"There's an exception to every rule," Sam said as she locked eye contact me, a smile spread across her face.  
The idea of Sam sort of, kind of, nearly implying that I was beautiful sent blood rushing to my cheeks. The realisation of this only fuelled the fire, I turned my face away in an effort to keep her from seeing me blush, but I still felt her gaze on me.

It is utterly confusing, being infatuated with another girl. The thing about girls is they can act quite flirty with you, and it could be a sign they're interested in you, but if they're presumed straight, it's much more likely that they're just being friendly. If I was a boy, unless she was interested, Sam wouldn't have referred to me as her date, and she wouldn't have clung to my arm as we walked. I wasn't really sure what Sam was into. I knew she liked guys...she brought _way _more home than I ever did. But I'd also heard rumours of her participating in certain acts with girls also, but I'd never seen her with a girl. As for me, well, I have had a couple casual boyfriends here and there, but I was never really into it. I had heard rumours circulate about people suspecting me of playing for the other team, and come to think of it, I've never confirmed or denied it. It never bothered me, but it seemed pretty likely that they were on to something.

We were greeted by nearly a dozen tipsy students shouting our names as we walked into the room. Apparently, we were the last to arrive. The room had an all too familiar smell - cheap alcohol and bad decisions, but I didn't mind. Sam was greeted by half the group with enthusiastic hugs while I stood awkwardly next to her, giving a few shy smiles to the people I recognised.  
"Hey Lara, what's going on?" Anthony, the host, came up to me and draped one arm around me. Anthony was tall, dark and handsome. I usually felt uncomfortable when people I didn't know well touched me, but I had met him numerous times and he was so easy to hang out with, without trying to sleep with you, so if anything, his friendly arm around me made me feel comfortable.  
"Hey Anthony, thanks for the invite."  
"You're always welcome here, drinks are in the fridge."  
He left as soon as he arrived, walking away to talk to one of the other guys, I didn't get a chance to thank him for supplying all the alcohol, which was quite a feat on the budget of a standard student.

For most of the night, I could be found leaning against the wall, drink in hand, talking to Sam or Anthony or whoever else approached me. Watching Sam at parties had always been entertaining, she was always the life of the party. And she seemed to constantly get the attention of guys, even though she didn't act trashy, as some other girls did. Anthony and I were talking about our classes with the slightest hint of slurring when I noticed it. No more than a few metres away was Sam, with some guy all over her. She wasn't kissing him or anything but it was obvious what he was hoping for. I had seen this situation a dozen times before, and it never really bothered me until now. I could hear Anthony speaking but, unintentionally, I didn't listen to a word.  
"Lara...you okay?" Anthony noticed my dazed expression, and then followed my eyes to Sam.  
"Yeah I'm good. Sorry, my head's a little fuzzy, hold my drink for a second? I'm going outside, need fresh air.."

I left Anthony clutching both of our drinks as I walked outside, the cold air hit me all at once, but I didn't mind, it was refreshing. I slumped down next to the door and took a moment to appreciate the feeling of the cool cement on my skin. Apparently my performance wasn't too convincing, as moments later, out came Anthony, who joined me on the ground.  
"Come on mate, I know what's up," he prodded, eyebrows raised. I didn't feel like he was accusing me in the slightest. He was still holding both of our drinks so I reclaimed mine and took a swig out of it. I was tipsy and he was ready to listen, so with little hesitation, I told him everything. I never would have done so sober, but he is just so damn easy to talk to.  
"I've seen the way you look at her," Anthony admitted, "and I've seen her look at you the same. No one's said anything, so you're safe there. I'm not sure anyone else has noticed actually. I can't be certain, it's just a vibe I get from you two."  
We sat in silence for a while but it wasn't awkward. I played with the bottle label, peeling it off bit by bit. I mulled over his words and came to a conclusion: I need to put myself out of my misery and actually do something about this. I don't know whether it was the cheap booze, the information I just received or both, but the idea of confronting this didn't seem so daunting anymore. With an uncommon surge of confidence I stood up, leaving my bottle on the ground.

I had a quick scan of the room but Sam wasn't in sight. There's no way she could have walked out the front door without me noticing. Right? I don't _think_ anyone left while I was out there. Oh wait, the bathroom. Sam constantly needed to pee when she drank, once she had 'broken the seal', as she called it. My mind filled with anticipation, but to my surprise, it was empty. The bathroom door creaked slightly as I re-entered the room, and there she was, in plain sight. And I swear my heart skipped a beat when I saw it, Sam and that same boy, passionately kissing, their arms around each other.


	2. Chapter 2

Following my discussion with Anthony the previous weekend, it was apparent that I needed to decide whether my infatuation with Sam was just a passing crush, or whether it was something I couldn't ignore. I had promised I would accompany Sam shopping today, a promise she managed to rope me into by swearing she'll take us out to lunch afterwards. We were in some upmarket women's clothing store (the kind I would never shop at) and I couldn't help but feel out of place in my baggy hoodie and jeans. Sam was wearing jeans too, with her favourite leather jacket. Her outfit wasn't particularly feminine by any means, but there was something about Sam that radiated femininity without her even trying. As she rifled through rack after rack of clothing I toyed around with my phone, which wasn't terribly entertaining was still better than the alternative - shopping. Sam glanced at me and must have noticed my lack of enthusiasm.  
"You know Lara, shopping with you is like shopping with a boyfriend," Sam commented, giggling.  
"Yeah, but you don't let me feel you up," I joked, thankful that my phone allowed me to avoid direct eye contact, as I was now in dangerous territory.  
"Oh Miss Croft, you can't tell me that when you've never tried."  
Goddamn she was smooth.

Eight stores, five new articles of clothing and a few hundred quid later, Sam had completed the days mission and was satisfied with the haul. We stood facing a street lined with cafes, trying to decide where we would have lunch. Amongst the hustle and bustle I couldn't help but notice on the end of the street, near us, was a homeless man on a street bench. He seemed to be minding his own business but was being shooed away by a cafe staff member, presumably a waiter. The homeless man didn't protest and trudged around the corner, now sitting on the ground, out of sight from the cafe. Seeing things like this upset me, I could never understand why people just _had _to be jerks.  
"Wow, totally uncool, what an asshole" Sam remarked, snapping me out of my daze.  
Apparently she noticed the incident too, and told it how it was.  
"Let's eat there!"  
"You're joking right?" I couldn't comprehend why she would choose that place after seeing that.  
"Nope, let's go. Trust me."

We got a table for two by the window, and Sam started a tab by getting us cocktails, despite it being two o'clock in the afternoon. I couldn't help but notice this was a somewhat romantic setting, and this would no doubt be considered a date if we weren't the same gender. Our waiter happened o be the staff member from outside, but I tried to not let that spoil my mood. We both ordered burgers, and after a quick scan of the room, we laughed at the realisation that most other girls here were eating salads. Sam left the table to go to the bathroom and I used the opportunity to whip out my phone and message Anthony, who I was keeping up to date with my predicament. It was nice having someone rooting for me, I didn't have a whole lot of relationship experience, let alone courting experience, and I needed all the help I could get.

"Drink up, I'm going to order another two in a minute," Sam urged, finishing the rest of her margarita as she slumped back into her seat.  
I followed her instructions and took a gulp out of my own, and took a moment to admire her fun loving attitude, which I could feel rubbing off onto me.  
"So...what happened with you and that guy at Anthony's?"  
I tried to be as subtle as possible, I didn't want Sam to think I was being invasive or anything.  
"Oh him? Screwed him in the bathroom."  
My reaction, however, was not subtle. I nearly choked on my drink and Sam burst out in laughter.  
"Jesus Christ Lara, I'm joking. Kissed him like, once. Horrible kisser, I bailed pretty quickly after that."  
I didn't really consider that guy much of a threat in the first place, as she hadn't mentioned him, but it still pleased me to hear Sam dismiss their encounter. Which got me wondering...if _I_ managed to kiss her, would she instantly bail on me too? It was not a pleasant thought.  
"And that's why I don't kiss random boys I meet at parties."  
"To be fair, you don't really date guys...do you?"  
"I guess not..." I let silence fall between us, wondering if she purposely said 'guys' instead of a more general term like 'anyone'. She could have been hinting at something, but I wasn't sure enough to mention it.

Two ridiculously indulgent burgers and three margaritas later and our meal was over. So when Sam ordered three burgers and a bottle of water to go, I gave her a questioning look. She met my gaze and winked.  
"Are you really hungry or...?"  
"Quite full actually. Just trust me."  
Sam was kind of the opposite of me. I liked things rational and straightforward. Logical. She was so carefree and possessed an element of chaos that excited me.  
Soon enough our takeout order arrived in a plastic bag. Sam waited until now to request cutlery, which sent the waiter back to the kitchen, who was visibly annoyed. She tightly gripped the takeout bag in one hand.  
"Ready?"  
"To...?" I hadn't grasped the situation.  
Sam quickly rose to her feet and grabbed my arm, suggesting I do the same.  
"We're leaving, come on!" Sam displayed a sense of urgency without causing a scene.  
With our waiter out of sight no one in the cafe was paying direct attention to us. We escaped the cafe with our stolen food without an issue. There were too many people on the streets for us to be noticed easily, but Sam began running anyway, still holding my arm with her free hand as she dragged me along. It wasn't until we slowed down around the corner and I spotted the homeless person from earlier that I could comprehend what was happening.  
"These are for you" Sam placed the plastic bag next to the man, who didn't have time to react before we were off running again.  
I briefly looked behind me to see the man with a wide grin on his face, clearly thankful for Sam's efforts. We ran side by side, and I took her hand in mine. There were two key things I had learned that day. The first was that Samantha Nishimura was not to be fucked with. The second was no longer something I needed to ponder, it was undeniable now. I was in love with her. 


	3. Chapter 3

This chapter is from Sam's point of view.

It was weeks before I decided to make my move. Anthony, knowing how shy and near incapable Lara was at this sorting of thing, had been questioning both of us about our feelings, although Lara didn't know this. There's no doubt in my mind that she would be stuck in the same confused position she had been in previously if not for him, but this was starting to feel childish. It reminded me of being in school, with friends passing notes between each other about who liked who. I knew Lara was too shy to be the one to make the first move, so that was up to me. The only problem was how to go about it. Unlike me, I highly doubt she's into the spontaneous kiss. I sat on the couch and was so lost in thought that the sound of the front door unlocking made me jump. I watched her unpack groceries and we made small talk. She looked so gorgeous, so desirable just doing day to day things. I decided once and for all, tonight was the night.

Later that night I found myself sitting next to her on the couch, nursing a glass of vodka mixed with diet lemonade. I had no intention of getting drunk but I needed just a little liquid courage – as experienced as I am, this situation was new to me. Two glasses in and I was feeling good, feeling confident. A mild, warm buzz was all I needed to get this going.

"You sure you don't want a drink, Lara?" I offered.  
"No it's okay, I'm good."  
We had finished dinner and were performing our near nightly ritual of sprawling out on opposite sides of the couch and watching TV, doing nothing.

"I still can't believe you stole burgers from that place."

"You know they deserved it. I know _you_ don't do anything wild like that but deep down you know it's right," I enjoyed poking fun at her, it was too easy.

"Yeah I don't steal or kiss random boys, sue me."  
Normally I would be annoyed at the indication of judgement from others but from her, it sounded like mild jealously, which just made me want her more. This was it.  
"Aww what's wrong sweetie, you jealous?" I teased and gave her a wicked smile.

We made eye contact but said nothing, the moment so intense I wanted to ravage her right there and then. I excused myself to go to the bathroom, I needed to reset.

I sat in the bathroom, wondering what was going through Lara's mind. Boys were never this much trouble. God, all you needed to do is invite them over to watch a movie and they would have their pants off before the opening credits. Maybe it was good that she was playing hard to get though, it just meant I needed to up my game. She never seemed uncomfortable when I flirted with her, maybe I just needed to go for it and hope for the best. I was returning to the lounge room and going over possible ways to go about it when I literally bumped into her in the hallway. We were both obviously on another planet and startled.

"Oh fuck, sorry," Lara chuckled.

Lara went to continue but I grabbed her arm, desperate to get somewhere with her.

"Have you...talked to Anthony lately?"  
"Uhh..." Lara was clearly confused.  
"About...me?" I edged closer to her, trying to give her a hint.

"Did he say something?" Lara enquired, my arm still holding hers, our faces mere inches apart.

"Yeah...he did," I was usually so smooth, but that was all I could get out.

I bit the bullet and leaned forward. My lips met hers, and a rush went through me that I had never experienced. Not much more needed to be said, we were definitely on the same page now. She kissed me back, hard, and I pushed her against the wall. Lara moaned into my mouth which only encouraged me, my hands all over her body now. I guess we had both been holding some things in.

"Tell me if you want me to stop," I said, trying to be considerate of the fact that Lara was not as 'active' as I was.

"Don't stop, I've wanted this for ages," she managed to get out between kisses.

Despite what she said we both stopped for a moment, I still had her pinned against the wall but I wanted to appreciate the moment, we both had been waiting for it. I had never experienced trying to kiss someone when you're both smiling like crazy, I think the fact that we were both smiling made it near impossible to stop. I had never seen this side of her before, so I decided to tease her further. I made my way for her neck, biting and sucking with passion. She responded _very _positively and I couldn't believe how turned I was with my pants still on, I could feel myself getting desperate to have more of her.  
"Wait, let's move," I stopped only to march in the direction of my bedroom, holding her hand and dragging her along with me before she could say anything.

I walked into my bedroom while Lara stood at the door, watching me. I kicked off my shoes and shrugged off my jacket, not caring where any of it landed. Falling backwards onto my mattress, I stared at her, wanting her more and more by the minute.

"And you say I don't do anything wild," Lara remarked as she slowly made her way over to me.

She laid down on top of me and I held her against me, both of us breathing heavily.

"Oh Miss Croft, I stand corrected."


End file.
